Synopses & Reviews
Nearly forty years after his death, rock's ultimate legend and prototype just won't go away and his influence and legacy are to be found not just in music today, but the world over. Elvis Presley has permeated the modern world in ways that are bizarre and inexplicable: a pop icon while he was alive, he has become almost a religious icon in death, a modern-day martyr crucified on the wheel of drugs, celebrity culture, junk food and sex. In , Dylan Jones takes us back to those heady days around the time of his death and the rise of punk. Evoking the hysteria and devotion of The King's numerous disciples and imitators, Jones offers a uniquely insightful commentary on Elvis's life, times and outrageous demise. Recounting how Elvis single-handedly changed the course of popular music and culture, Jones delves deep into the cult of The King and reveals the universal importance of what Elvis's death meant and still means to us today.
Review
‘The best quote I ever read about Elvis was on a toilet wall in the Dockers Pub, Dublin, in the late 70s, just as punk rock was just blooming. ‘Elvis is alive, we're dead, it proclaimed. I'm not sure punk would have existed without him. In fact I'm not sure a lot of things would have existed without him. Dylan Jones is the right man to ponder such questions.” —Bono
“A gripping tale of impossible success and terrible waste and lost beauty that veers from Memphis to Las Vegas and all the way to the broken backstreets of London. Dylan Jones has written a glorious tribute to the man who burned all the maps and broke down every barrier, and filled this world with magic.” —Tony Parsons
"Dozens of books have been written about Elvis Presley's life and death, but few (if any) have connected the loss of the rock 'n' roll icon with the simultaneous rise of punk music. With Elvis Has Left the Building, Jones takes an interesting look at how 1977 marked the explosion of punk alongside this heartbreaking (though not altogether surprising) loss of a legend." —USA Today
Synopsis
'The King' departed this world during the month of punk rock's apotheosis. Punk had set out to destroy Elvis, or at least everything he came to represent, but never got the chance, as Elvis destroyed himself before anyone else could.
About the Author
Dylan Jones is the Editor of GQ. He studied at Chelsea School of Art and St. Martin's School of Art in London before becoming the Editor of i-D magazine. He has since been an editor at the Face, Arena, Observer and The Sunday Times. Jones has won the BSME Editor of the Year award seven times, and was awarded an OBE in 2013. He has written studies of David Bowie and Jim Morrison, in addition to two anthologies of journalism and more on technology, popular culture, the war in Afghanistan and even Prime Minister David Cameron.